LUNdCH is the place for a perfect picnic meal

Aug. 22, 2013

A beet and grilled peach salad won over even a non-beet lover. / Kirsten Parmer/Special to The News Leader

LUNdCH Food at Mike Lund Food

300 N. Central Ave., Staunton 878-9900 info@mikelundfood.comwww.mikelundfood.comwww.facebook.com/mikelundfood Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. most Wednesdays to Saturdays. Check his website or follow him on Facebook for weekly updates and menus. Other: Prices are all inclusive of 11 percent state and local meals tax. Pre-orders preferred, but not necessary and can be done via email, Facebook or text. Take-out only.

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When the Brit and I first started hanging out, picnics were our date of choice. They were sexy, lavish picnics, too, with juicy plums and paper-thin slices of prosciutto; a baguette with radishes and creamy European butter; figs drizzled with honey and black pepper alongside a ripe triangle of brie; slabs of dark chocolate with sea salt; a bottle of chilled New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. We would idle away hours in a park or by a river, feeling very indulgent with every bite, spoken word and lazy minute. We were great at doing picnics and they became our escape from the world, a place to just be us. As relationships tend to go, we found ourselves settling into a more ordinary routine as time went on — kids, work, stress — and further away from those magical, hedonistic afternoons. But when we felt that it was time to reconnect, we would suggest to each other that it might be the day for a picnic.

This week was no different. We’ve had more stress on our plates than any two people should really be allowed to bear and afternoon plans that fell through last minute. It was a gorgeous day and here we were, together, with nothing required of us. It was the perfect opportunity for a picnic and I knew exactly where to pick up some perfectly delicious food. I texted an order for “one of everything” to Mike Lund and said that we would be there in 15 minutes.

Mike is a talented caterer and teacher who honed his skills in the kitchen of Inn at Little Washington and Zynodoa. Out of his small, downtown Staunton shop, he has started serving up LUNdCH, typically Wednesday through Saturday for take-out only. The menu changes each week and includes two entrees, usually a sandwich and another option. Both are served with two prescribed sides. You can also order a salad in a large or small size, two types of cookies, and drinks that include bottled water, Pellegrino soda or cane sugar Coke.

Our one-of-everything picnic provided us several kraft paper treasure boxes of food to eat in Gypsy Hill Park. First up, a small mixed local green salad ($5) with balsamic beets, grilled peaches, pickled carrots, toasted pecans and a light vinaigrette. The Brit is not a beet lover and groaned when he saw what was inside, but Mike’s version won him over with slightly crunchy beets tempered by the sweetness of the peaches. I’m pretty sure he ate the lion’s share of that box.

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The second box held a gazpacho chicken salad sandwich ($10) with sweet corn summer succotash and grilled cantaloupe. The “gazpacho” part was essentially a summery and light tomato and herb based sauce that held the chicken together. The chicken salad was tucked in a small, tender roll and was really delicious. The succotash was garden-fresh and the grilled cantaloupe added smoky goodness.

The third box held the same side dishes but instead of a sandwich, there were several country ham and shrimp grit fritters ($12). Mike apologized for them falling apart a little bit saying he needed to experiment more, but they were so incredibly good it didn’t even come close to mattering. They had the right crunchy-to-creamy ratio with crispy little bits of shrimp and an absolutely stellar flavor.

For dessert we split the two cookie options ($2 each): a soft, chocolate chip and bacon and a salty oats and golden raisin. The bacon cookie was fine, but even though I love bacon, I’m kind of over seeing it in desserts. The salty oats one was a different story. I love salt in my desserts and this one was perfect — light and chewy and perfectly salty.

So when this week’s LUNdCH menu popped across my facebook feed and mentioned something about a BLT with smoked bacon, Mike’s own garden tomatoes, fried cheese and basil mayo, I immediately started salivating like Pavlov’s dog and longing for a free afternoon to enjoy it.

Which prompts me to give you each an assignment: on the next gorgeous late-summer-early-fall day, grab someone you love — a friend, partner, mother, lover, dog — it doesn’t matter, pick up food from Mike Lund’s kitchen and go on a picnic.